{"title":"Fostering intergenerational harmony: Can good quality contact between older and younger employees reduce workplace conflict?","authors":"Lisbeth Drury, Ulrike Fasbender","doi":"10.1111/joop.12539","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study examines how workplace conflict between multigenerational co-workers arises and can be reduced. Utilizing social categorization and intergroup contact theories, we hypothesized that good quality contact between older and younger employees decreases task and relationship conflict by reducing perceived age discrimination (PAD), above and beyond trust as a typical social exchange mechanism prevalent in relationships between co-workers. Furthermore, we predicted that task interdependence would exacerbate the relationships between PAD with task and relationship conflict. We applied structural equation modelling using a sample of 567 older and younger British employees to test our hypotheses while controlling for trust as an alternative mechanism. In line with our predictions, we found that good quality contact between older and younger employees reduced employees' PAD, which in turn reduced task conflict and relationship conflict (above and beyond trust as a control mechanism). The indirect effects of intergroup contact on workplace conflict via PAD were further enhanced when cross-age co-workers were highly interdependent in conducting their work tasks. Our findings suggest that organizations should create practices to improve cross-age contact in the workplace.</p>","PeriodicalId":48330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology","volume":"97 4","pages":"1789-1812"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/joop.12539","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joop.12539","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MANAGEMENT","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study examines how workplace conflict between multigenerational co-workers arises and can be reduced. Utilizing social categorization and intergroup contact theories, we hypothesized that good quality contact between older and younger employees decreases task and relationship conflict by reducing perceived age discrimination (PAD), above and beyond trust as a typical social exchange mechanism prevalent in relationships between co-workers. Furthermore, we predicted that task interdependence would exacerbate the relationships between PAD with task and relationship conflict. We applied structural equation modelling using a sample of 567 older and younger British employees to test our hypotheses while controlling for trust as an alternative mechanism. In line with our predictions, we found that good quality contact between older and younger employees reduced employees' PAD, which in turn reduced task conflict and relationship conflict (above and beyond trust as a control mechanism). The indirect effects of intergroup contact on workplace conflict via PAD were further enhanced when cross-age co-workers were highly interdependent in conducting their work tasks. Our findings suggest that organizations should create practices to improve cross-age contact in the workplace.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology aims to increase understanding of people and organisations at work including:
- industrial, organizational, work, vocational and personnel psychology
- behavioural and cognitive aspects of industrial relations
- ergonomics and human factors
Innovative or interdisciplinary approaches with a psychological emphasis are particularly welcome. So are papers which develop the links between occupational/organisational psychology and other areas of the discipline, such as social and cognitive psychology.